For many students of all ages looking to continue their education or advance their careers or earning potential, Bristol Community College is the higher education option most easily within reach.

With campuses located throughout the county, day and evening classes and comparatively low tuition rates and fees, the college offers a college education to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it. So it’s great news that BCC will hold the line on fees again this year — for the third year in a row.

The Board of Trustees’ decision to keep fees flat will make a difference in the lives of students from all walks of life facing tough times and trying to improve their lives. Holding the line on fees might save students from relying on food pantries to make ends meet, or help them avoid taking out more student loans. It might enable a single mother to continue to pay for child care so she can attend classes.

BCC’s decision is largely thanks to the state’s new performance-based funding system. BCC lobbied for the new model, which awards state funding based on enrollment and performance data, such as graduation and retention rates. Since BCC’s students helped the school get the additional appropriation based on its enrollment and performance figures, it’s only right that the trustees would in turn use the extra funds to avoid a fee hike.

Under the new system, BCC will be rewarded for its high enrollment numbers and good performance, with a $1.32 million state allocation for fiscal 2015, on top of the base appropriation of $18.16 million. Under the previous model, percentage increases or decreases were the same across all institutions, regardless of their size or performance. The new system rewards community colleges that do the most to attract and retain students.

BCC “now has the second-largest number of full-time equivalent students in the state, and we look forward to continued growth and opportunity for our students and our community,” said Fall River businessman Joe Marshall, BCC’s new chairman of the board.

BCC is also reinvesting the additional funding by hiring more full-time faculty, expanding academic support services and providing more scholarships. That should make BCC a more attractive option for students, fuel its growth, improve the quality of education and ensure even better student performance.

Bristol Community College represents a great value for the dollar, both to students and the taxpayers who help support it. The new performance-based state funding system should help reward the college’s solid performance. Our community and county are fortunate to have this growing higher education institution in our own backyard.